Speeches by Bool.

“I thank the Minister for her praise of the EFRA Committee’s report. I speak as a member of that Committee; we are doing extensive work on the water industry and we are following this matter carefully. As has been said, the key issue with the South East Water disruption was the lack of communication, something that appl…”

“It is the Royal British Legion’s recommendation that the UK Government should introduce a veterans commissioner for England, ensuring that veterans and their families know who to turn to for advocacy and providing someone to campaign for and champion their needs at the heart of Government. I strongly urge the Governmen…”

“Indeed, that very point was made last year in the Defence Committee report that stated that the issue was not about how the covenant was legislated for or the nature of the services provided, but about how it was enforced and provided for. Given that the Government seem content to expand the extent of the covenant, we …”

“In addition, this role would be able to assist with the armed forces covenant extension. One of the most critiqued aspects of the armed forces covenant is that it is poorly signposted and inconsistently enforced, and that compliance significantly varies from region to region. Speaking to serving personnel, the issue is…”

“It was a pleasure to serve on the Select Committee, and I thank the Clerks and all those who made it run so smoothly. Today I will focus on one area. “I certainly think it is bizarre that there is not an English commissioner. That is 85% of the veteran population, while the other 15% have three commissioners to represe…”

“All experience of military life is valuable, but speaking as someone without military experience, I still think that something can be brought to the table by those who do not have such experience. However, I take the hon. Gentleman’s point, and I am sure the Scottish Government will have heard it put on record. The Roy…”

“Equally, the veterans commissioner could play an important role in implementing the veterans strategy, with its three core themes to celebrate, contribute and support. They could also play an important role in co-ordinating responses of the veterans advisory and pensions committees across England to provide local outre…”

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“The SDR acknowledges that a significant proportion of the reserves work in the NHS and that, if they were to be deployed, there would be significant issues. Given that defence medical services and the NHS have to work together, will the Government set out what plans they are putting in place for this?”

“As an active user of the NHS, I welcome steps that can be taken to help improve patient experience and care, but the NHS is a delicate ecosystem: mistakes and errors do not just lead to a loss of money—they can be life-changing and, quite literally, a matter of life or death—so it is absolutely essential that we get th…”

“In March, the Government released their steel strategy, which talked about taking bold steps to help to grow the industry. The bold steps that we have before us include granting powers to nationalise the industry and introducing a 50% tariff in six weeks’ time on the import of steel products that can also be made in th…”

“I want to raise a case of gift card fraud. My constituent Nigel Bannister was recently given a gift card as a birthday present, but, by the time he came to redeem it, the money had gone. This is a rising trend, where people are taking a photograph of the cards and stealing the PIN details, and claiming them before some…”

“Back to the 1 July tariffs: the quotas are too small and the commodity codes are too broad. The steel required for aerospace can come only from, I think, SSUK, which is currently in liquidation. That grade of steel cannot be produced elsewhere—that is for commercial steel. Businesses will be bankrupted within six month…”

“I will be sure to write to the Minister with more details. First, none of this steel can realistically be made in the UK. The Government have provided a list of potential suppliers, but the majority, including British Steel, only make commercial not aerospace-grade steel, and the only company that might, Speciality Ste…”

“Food inflation is forecast by the Food and Drink Federation to reach at least 9% by the end of this year. Energy costs are driving up food inflation, as are a lot of the other anti-business policies put forward by this Government, including not incorporating food manufacturing in the industrial strategy. When will the …”

“The communication element is certainly important. Villagers in Greatworth and Radstone in Northamptonshire have been massively isolated by the works that have been carried out, while the active travel route that Brackley residents wanted has not been possible because it is bypassed by HS2. Does my hon. Friend agree tha…”

“How do you then keep it affordable, though? Obviously, if it is going to be highly nutritious, which you would hope it always would be, then how? Other than discounting it, how do you do it?”

“I just want to follow up, because obviously we have talked about the just-in-time model, but then in your report you talk about moving to a more just-in-case model. Obviously you have talked about the importance of storage and that resilience, but if we were to try to take that step tomorrow how else would we move, do …”

“Many farmers, small businesses and residents have had access to their properties disrupted by the construction of HS2. The Wilcoxes in my constituency have been battling for more than five years to get a simple deed of easement to guarantee access to their property. As a former property lawyer, I know that is a very si…”

“Chair, that has basically covered the section I was going to come to later. As you said, it is about that prioritisation. That takes that section out.”